I kid you not. It was Turner's voice and halftime message that
saved the Chargers' dismal season. According to witnesses, Turner's
oratorical skills would have made Barack Obama, Knute Rockne and
even Ronald Reagan proud.

Dang, maybe the Chargers do have that passionate,
kick-some-tail, knock-over-water-coolers coach the fans seek.

"He really put his heart and soul into it and really said some
words that you can never really forget," safety Eric Weddle said of
Turner's halftime speech. "We tried to take that emotion and energy
into the second half and we did."

No transcripts were available of Turner's sermon. But we'll
guess that it went something like this, with Turner's veins bulging
and his face a crimson red.

"Look you blankety-blanks, is this what you want the season to
be? You are getting pushed around, you're not fighting back, you're
playing scared, you're playing tentative and you're playing as if
not to lose rather than playing to win. Now get your sorry
backsides out there and play to the level we know you are capable
of.''

Someone said it was more Marty Schottenheimer and Bobby Ross
than Turner, the man whose excitement level mimics an insurance
agent reading rate quotes.

"Oh, he was emotional and he was crying," one witness said. "He
was very, every animated."

Maybe Turner was reading the blogs or listening to sports talk
radio. Maybe he figured his persona as an offensive wonk and genius
wasn't getting through the players' thick skulls.

He sounded more like a frustrated fan than an analytical coach
when rattling the locker room mirrors and peeling paint from its
walls.

"He is a very calm and collected guy. ... He never lets his
emotions show," offensive lineman Jeromey Clary said. "And once he
did, it was 'Wow'. It was a wake-up call, and everything he said
needed to be said."

Say this, the Chargers started Sunday with a kick -- make that
another blocked punt -- and the Titans scored a safety before many
at Qualcomm Stadium had found their seats.

It didn't look much better as the Chargers sought an offensive
rhythm with a run-pass blend while the defense was being
challenged. When Chris Johnson zigzagged for a 29-yard run, the
Chargers were down 19-7 and the boos were prevalent.

But Ryan Mathews scored from 7 yards in the half's closing
minute. And from there it was Norval Eugene Turner unplugged at
halftime.

"It was his best," said quarterback Philip Rivers, whose father
is a coach, so he has heard plenty of talks.

"He gets criticized a lot -- I think unfairly -- on the outside
about how unemotional, (dispassionate) and (not being) fiery.

"But he's not trying to get y'all ready to go play a game. He's
worried about us in the locker room."

Though his press conferences are drab, Turner has a gift of gab,
Rivers maintains.

"He has plenty of passion,'' Rivers said. "And he gives us
plenty of motivation. But this halftime was his best, as fiery as
he's been. That's why (the win) is so emotional."

The coaches and players would never admit it, but if downing a
quart of truth serum they would allow that this game was huge.

Lose this, go to 2-6 -- with the Chiefs and Raiders winning --
and the Chargers' deficit would be practically insurmountable.
Plus, the spider webs collecting in the unoccupied seats would only
grow.

Instead the Chargers rallied in the second half.

"We have a resilient group," Rivers said. "But we haven't had
fun these last three games.

"There are a lot of locker rooms where it all would be kind of
fizzled out and kind of deteriorated. But it hasn't, and that
starts with Norv and how he handled it."

Turner exited before word filtered about his shout heard around
the locker room, so it was left for others to voice their amazement
in what Turner spit out.

"It's one of those speeches that you hear and it gives you goose
bumps," offensive lineman Louis Vasquez said. "Usually, you know
how Norv is. But when he gets talking and his voice raises -- it
was one of those times we needed it. He gave it to us."

His message was that the Chargers' reputation is to reach for
the white flag when they're losing.

"We know that is not true on this side,'' Clary said. "But maybe
they questioned it on the other side."

It's no mystery that Turner smacked the equivalent of a home
run.

"Norv has always been an inspiration guy,'' said Antonio Gates,
who was sensational with 123 receiving yards and a touchdown. "But
when you see someone reach deep down and when your soul is in
everything that you're doing and into this whole game, you can just
see it."